This is Super!

[dandyrandy]

I found this shinny guy off the new Kimber catalog. Its a Stainless II in 38 Super. Is there any 38 super fans out there? If so what do you like about them? This is the first 38 super pistol I have ever owned. So far there are a few things I like about it. I like how the 38 super seems to be more "at home" in the 1911 design than the 9mm Luger is. I also like the extra round count you get as aopposed to the 45. I have a Wilson Combat mag in it right now with a 10 round count that so far proves very reliable. I think that is significant! The bullet seems to shoot accurate and very flat which I like. Thus far its a great little pistol! Thanks for looking!

 

[M29since14]

The Super .38 is definitely more at home in the 1911 than the shorter 9x19. I think most of us like the Super in a 1911 because it is so easy to shoot. With its higher velocity it seems follow through is noticeably less critical.

 

[Mainsail]

My dad's Colt in 38 Super. I shot it once and am glad he never needed it for defense as it really needs new springs (at least). I was impressed by the cartridge though, and will be looking for a good 1911 smith to get this reliable.

Also his Colt .22 and my Combat Master which also needs some work. So many projects....

 

[DWalt]

Add a 9mm barrel and magazine, and you will have a 2-caliber pistol. I recommend you do that. You can handload the .38 Super to impressive performance levels, but you should use .38 Super Comp cases from Starline. Having an assortment of recoil spring strengths is advisable to get best functioning.

 

[31FordA]

I’ve got two .38 Super Colts, a Competition and a Classic. The .38 Super round is a good performer and fun to shoot. The Super is also a natural fit in a 1911. I’ve let lots of people shoot my .38 Supers, and no one has anything bad to say about them. If the ammo was more available I think they would sell more of them. I stockpiled several cases of .38 Super ammo, plus components to load a few thousand more, so I don’t have to worry about ammo availability.

At one time Sig offered the P220 in .38 Super. If I ever run across on for sale for a sane price I’ll probably buy it.

 

[.38SuperMan]

I have a Kimber Eclipse Target in 38 Super. What I like, it’s beautifully built to tight tolerances. Matter of fact it’s much tighter built than my Colt LW Commander 38 Super. It’s very accurate and has a supported chamber meaning it handles very hot loads with ease.

I used to shoot 38 super (major loads) in IPSC and had a catastrophic failure of my Caspian race gun frame. I wound up with 1,000 rounds (124 gr @ 1,450 fps) of very hot 38 that were too hot for my Colt which doesn’t have a supported chamber. I found that the Eclipse Target was supported and contacted Kimber customer service to see if they thought the Eclipse would handle 1,000 rounds. CS assured me they have several customers shooting magnum level loads in theirs with no issues. So,I purchased one, upped the recoil spring weight and added a shock buffer. 1,000 rounds later no issues not even an FTF or FTE. It has been 100% since round one.

I now load standard to light loads and went back to the stock spring and have had no issues at all.

I’ve owned quite a few Kimbers and still have 3 and have never had an issue with any of them and would buy another without a second thought.

Beautiful Super you have!

 

[Rock185]

I've had two of the Stainless Target .38 Supers, and now an Eclipse in .38 Super; none polished to the level of dandyrandy"s though. They were all well fitted, boringly reliable pistols with any factory or hand loaded ammo I used. And I did use ammo loaded to the level .38SuperMan mentions, with no issues with any of the three. I did fit a 9mm barrel to the Eclipse. Both calibers function reliably. Kimbers get routinely trashed on the internet, but I've had very good luck with a half dozen over the last ~20 years..

 

[Muley Gil]

I’ve got two .38 Super Colts, a Competition and a Classic. The .38 Super round is a good performer and fun to shoot. The Super is also a natural fit in a 1911. I’ve let lots of people shoot my .38 Supers, and no one has anything bad to say about them. If the ammo was more available I think they would sell more of them. I stockpiled several cases of .38 Super ammo, plus components to load a few thousand more, so I don’t have to worry about ammo availability.

At one time Sig offered the P220 in .38 Super. If I ever run across on for sale for a sane price I’ll probably buy it.

Years ago, there was a hardware store in the city where I worked that had a going out of business sale. They had a Browning BDA .38 Super, NIB, in the case. Of course, I didn't need a DA semi auto, especially in .38 Super.

Seems like the price was under $200 too.

 

[Hair Trigger]

I found this shinny guy off the new Kimber catalog. Its a Stainless II in 38 Super. Is there any 38 super fans out there? If so what do you like about them? This is the first 38 super pistol I have ever owned. So far there are a few things I like about it. I like how the 38 super seems to be more "at home" in the 1911 design than the 9mm Luger is. I also like the extra round count you get as opposed to the 45.

I have a .38 Super RIA GI model 1911. I shoot it more than all my other 1911's. It's less recoil than the .45 or 10mm or .40S&W, and since my 9mm 1911 is a Commander, the Super in a full size is almost less than the 9mm.

The main reason .38 Super feels "at home" in a 1911, is because it was originally designed for it; a 1911 was the first gun that .38 Super was chambered in (actually it was .38 Auto, but the Super is the same cartridge loaded to a higher pressure).

I use Super Comp brass when I reload for it, the rim is cut back to case diameter so it headspaces exclusively on the case mouth like all other 1911 chamberings. It runs as fast as I can pull the trigger and the RIA hasn't skipped a beat yet. It's a hotter round than 9mm. Most loads will run about 100 fps faster than 9mm for the same bullet weights at the upper end of the load data.

 

[Golddollar]

I have a Colt Government Model in .38 Super that had a Clark barrel in it when I bought it. It's been a safe queen. It's time to take it out and play with it.

 

[CH4]

OP, that’s a nice looking pistols. Is it polished or PVD? I am also a fan of the 38s. Mine is a DW Specialist 9mm / 38s.

 

[dandyrandy]

OP, that’s a nice looking pistols. Is it polished or PVD? I am also a fan of the 38s. Mine is a DW Specialist 9mm / 38s.

Yes it is a high polished stainless steal. I like the high polish finish the most on a pistol. It is the easiest and the most difficult to keep in nice condition. Its probably the most rust resistant finish you could possible have and any scratch can be easily polished out however its also easy to get scratches. The great thing is the gun would never need a new finish because there is no finish to apply to the gun unlike bluing, pakerized, or the worst to refinish one of the many types of cerakote which need to all be re-applied.

 

[dandyrandy]

Add a 9mm barrel and magazine, and you will have a 2-caliber pistol. I recommend you do that. You can handload the .38 Super to impressive performance levels, but you should use .38 Super Comp cases from Starline. Having an assortment of recoil spring strengths is advisable to get best functioning.

Titsas of Turkey makes a nickel plated 1911 that comes with both 9mm and 38 super barrels. The gun also come with two really nice magazines. One is called the Desperado and the other is called the Regulator. The Turks probably make the best deal out there for a 1911 right now. The metal work they do is top notch. Just stay away from the semi auto shotguns...

 

[bananaman]

I submitted a thread about .38 Super or 9mm. in a 1911. Many replied that 9 is so close to the super. They talked me out of it because don't load 38 Super. { already load 6 calibers} My solution was to buy a Colt Commander 45! Works for me! Your 1911 is sure a BEAUTY! Bob

 

[Warren Sear]

38 Super is close to 357 Magnum performance. 9mm does not compare.

I have a Colt Government Model in 38 Super; I wouldn't think of converting it to 9mm. I have plenty of 9mm pistols if I want to shoot 9mm.

 

[cherrypointmarine]

I have a Colt Super Elite GCNM , Tanfoglio Witness III , S&W Doug Koenig 1911-2 PC , all in 38Super . Then you bunch of enablers got me to buy a Tisa 9mm/38Super , so yeah I like the round . I've shot silhouette's at 100yd's with the S&W , piece of cake . The Tanfoglio likewise , and the mag holds 18 rd's .

 

[Grayfox]

I'm a 1911 guy from way back. My favorite pistol and it just fits me to a "T".
I first became interested in the 38 Super because it was the 2nd caliber the 1911 was chambered in and has been a popular choice for many, many years. I like it.
I never could warm up to a 1911 in 9mm. It just don't seem right.
But they do seem to be quite popular these days so I did try one just to see what all the fuss was about. Bought an RIA 9mm and shot it for a while. MEH! Nothing there for me.
So I put a 38 super barrel in it and never looked back.
Frankly, I think if you want a Single Action 9mm, you're much better off with a Hi-Power.
Anyway, I do like the 38 Super and currently own five 1911s in this caliber.

Colt Govt Model
Combat Commander................RIA Govt Model
Commander............................RIA Tac II

 

[Valmet]

I have a Glenn Custom .38 Super built in the 1980s by AZ master gunsmith Frank Glenn on a Colt frame.

 

[glenncal1]

I have a 1911 and the Tangfolio in .38 super. You are definitely not undergunned with 18 rounds of .38 super.

 

[STORMINORMAN]

Unbelievably PSA still has the TISAS 1911A1 Stakeout in BOTH 9mm & 38 Super (two barrels, two mags!) available in electroless nickel for $399.99!

This is the absolute best 1911 deal out there: the finish on mine is flawless and it shoots both calibers like a dream!

Hurry!

P.S. Not my 1st 1911 but my 1st TISAS: I am very impressed!